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10 Keys to Writing Copy That Sells!
Whether you're selling a product or service, the 10 tips below are your keys to writing great copy that communicates and persuades ... to get results! These guidelines can apply to most any form of consumer marketing communications: sales...
Ghostwriting - Making Money by Being Invisible
My bookcase takes up one whole wall in the family room, from floor to ceiling. It shows my eclectic reading tastes... fiction, non-fiction, Harry Potter next to murder mysteries and metaphysical literature. Also there are books I've written for the...
Nip and Tuck – Three Quick Tricks for Writing SEO Copy
by Karon Thackston © 2003 http://www.copywritingcourse.com Have you ever been to one of those sites that has obviously been written to get high search engine rankings? You know the ones… they have copy that sounds like this: “When you buy quality...
Top Ten Tips For Writing Your Best Press Release Ever
Keep these few crucial details in mind when writing and submitting your press release to increase your chances of news coverage: 1. If you are not the news: become the news. No matter what your release is about, you need to find a way to tie...
Where to Find Writing Jobs Online
A freelance writer’s best resource of finding jobs online are Job boards or sites. While some boards are geared specifically to the freelancer, many others also list other type of jobs. Some job boards allow freelancers to register their...
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How to Come up With Fresh Writing Ideas
How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas When Your Idea Well has Run Dry
When I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me, and I know I can never do it. Then gradually, I write one page and then another. One day’s works is all I can permit myself to contemplate. —John Steinbeck
I know that it seems easier to make that extra pot of coffee, read that good book, that you have had in storage for the last ten years, and suddenly decide to make the kids that Halloween costume by hand, than it can be to make yourself sit down and write. Believe me, I have been there.
Here are some brainstorming techniques to get your brain pumping again and churning out ideas.
1) If you are having trouble coming up with characters or even a story line, try developing an action scene. One good scene to kick off your book can get the rest flowing. Develop the characters and story line around that scene.
2) Come up with a problem to solve. Is your main character the class clown or the brainiest kid in school. What type of problem would your character face in his or her normal life? Write your story around the problem and a unique way of solving it.
3)For character development use common sense. Use what is in front of you.
Look at your family and friends and see if they remind you of anything. My first Shakespearean teacher reminded me of a caveman or a husky walrus because of his whiskers. Does your Uncle Arthur have whiskers, wear glasses, and walk with a little bit of a waddle? Turn him into a
know it all beaver or a store clerk, at a bookstore that sells books that you can actually climb into and live out an adventure.
Does your sister have a talent for jumping rope and blowing bubbles, with purple bubble gum? Maybe the heroine for your next book could do the same.Is their a kid in your neighborhood that is always getting into trouble? Hmm, do you think that the creator of Dennis the Mennis might have known one?
You can use your family and friend’s talents and their physical characteristics to come up with tons of characters. One hint though- if you choose to make Uncle Charlie a slug or Aunt Emma a rhinoceros, keep it to yourself. They may not be thrilled with their induction into literary history.
Inspiration is all around you, waiting for you to reach out and grab for your next storyline or character. Use stories from the news, jokes that your neighbors tell you, the quirky things that your dog Buster does in the morning.
One final word - stop criticizing what you have written down. In these first stages, no one cares if you have misspelled words or if your grammar isn’t perfect. Just write. The rest will follow, after your story is done.
Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing tips please go to http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com
About the Author
Caterina is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less, as well as several children's books. To view some of her work please go to http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com
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Writing.Com: Writers, Writing, Poetry, Creative Writing, Fiction ... |
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